THE WORLD WAR

NZ Truth, Issue 568, 6 May 1916, Page 6

THE WORLD WAR

WttKlN6 OF TMBIZOKB } . ————— Bucharest and Berlin Wwfcecn Warninf s-rKet-d-Asiara— Pope and PresUe&t CBy *y^Q '"Ti>pfl^*yi'*^

« During the holidays many little table messages reached- -us from the various quarters of Interest. Trebisond had fallen; the Russians were OH *ThA '"R*"yHH\,' Arifl Pj»jml>Jlf>qn Vrn.nV»A had gone mad over the soldiers of the autocrat of all the Russians; Marseilles and Paris were beflagged, and General JofCre spoke of the devotion j of Russia. Further.jj the Rumanian | press informed the Toorld, that a- purely ] agreement had been < arrived at between Bucharest and Berlin, but that It was of no political significance whatever. These scrappy' news items and others, are all interesting, as they are indicative of alterations, the effects of which may not be long m easing or complicating the situation; though, goodness knows,-, the situation at present la sufficiently complicated to satisfy the^esirea pf.the keenest analyst, and those who happen to be puzzle-mad. If one T^ere to accept Rnspia on her face value It : would have to be acknowledged that the above, of all the members of the Quadruple Entente is doing anything. . SHE IS MAKING |»ROGRESS, Marked progress, and captures m Asia Minor, and from the ejhds of Siberia, over land and over seal, she has forwarded her soldiers .ijto s fight and bleed m the service of . France. Nearly two years ag<lf we were told that Russian soldiers had landed m England, thai they 'had been feted and cheered and conversed v^tJi by .numerous people. The censor actually passed such a cable message" (probably •with a sneer and growl* "Goodi^nbugh for /the aoitlpodeans,") and though it was afterwards discovered to be, false, no, cable raes&ase arrived giving it an official denial Now the Russians hayie managed to land a body of troops m iTrance, and the head iof the nation having welcomed and^landcd them, we can afford' (probably) to rely* upon the aevre this time. If it has been found necessary to accept Russian soldiers to France to fight on the western front, their presence "on French soil, can be accounted^for-m twwwayß. The wastage In the French regiments has been considerable, or a moral effect was needed to rebrace'both soldiers and people. If the wastage among the French troops affecteditho proper complement of reserves, the position for the PKBJ^«aoay would fb* «erious in-

deed, and assistance from all quarters would be readily accepted. But it is puzzling m the- extreme to explain how. Russia can .afford to lend half a regiment to any Power; she heeds all the soldiers she, can muster for her own fronts. .Therefore it is improbable that the Russian force dumped into France arrived to T" a k** up any wastage m the French corps; but rather, as a Paris message relates, that the arrival of the Russiamrmight have an enormous moral effect upon the civil population and the army. The questions arise then, why should it be found' necessary to create "an enormous moral effect upon the civil population and the army;" and. why is-; it that Russian troops could alone achieve this desired result ?yHad the mana of the British passed away with the failure of the Indians on the | western front? The poor Indians once arrived at Marseilles, and the enthusiasm they evoked was considerable. But the frosts and snows of Flanders finished the Indians without much effort on the part of the enemy, and what remained of them, trooped back to the tropics, poor fellows! When there are growls from the people and grunts from the army, it is high time to create "indiscribable conclusions" otherwise "an enormous moral effect." But were le dtoyen and le piou-piou amuttering? Probably they were — for -I the' Russians! So the victors of Erzerum and Trebizo'nd were represented on French soil by Siberian contingents, fetched thither under the „ j ESCORT OF JAPANESE WAR VESSELS. '. Some time ago a Yankee patriot who loved the Mndred peoples of Tin eta "d and Qeßttany. alike. Sang!--T hate you and your grinning face, Oh, hate you every time -I -can; For o'er the white man's great disgrace Learns up the son of fierce Japan.", Was that Yankee singer a mart mam or merely a prophet? '■ - Trebisond has fallen— if a place can fall that has neither fortsvnor defences. Like the- occurrences at" Erzerum the Turks walked out bag and baggage through one gate, ' and the Russians entered to by the other. There ia a certain, amount of fog about the capture off those old cities. Erzerum was a ruined old place at anytime, and did not constitute much <rf an achieve- '

menf. strategically or otberwfse.'!freblzond was little better, but its situation makes it a place of considerable importance. Hence its captnxe-by ■ Russia is really something of an. achievement It is well to recollect that the eitnation fore and «aft of Erzermn and menacmgrfoT- Russia, and 'W© may rest assured we snail bear' something- more o£=tbose"old cities, paa>> cticnlatly now that-the stress of conditions has compelled the gaSant but foolhardy Towm*end m Kut to surrender. The military < situationJLn Asia Minor is generally mixed, for* though the Grand Duke has neither spared men nor munitions m forging right ahead, ihe fhas yet to -deal with a con-" siderahJe"Tnrfeish army m his "directs rear, another enemy group of army corps on.«his>«xact3feft,-and'yet another szfcdi.asoCb.er/ towards.-iErzingan. Thus we see that thjo-situation,'Joi" the Grand Duke bristles , with, possibilities. But his "Excellency*; is nothing if not venturesome. Ho I 'ha3;-?entured/far, and at last achieved, a, great deal. Noisy and vaporous as la the Bear, it would be well indeed € ff''& little of bis dash and doings ' were .-emulated on the western front. ' From, London It Jias been announced that German and Roumanian bureaux have been opened m BUCHAREST AND BERLIN to facilitate relations under the new commercial agreement The Roumanian press say that the agreement is purely economic and of no political significance. But economics .and. polltigs are very relative factors In' wartime, hence, if the report is really accurate, London is quite correct when she tellß the world that the" BerlinBucharest agreement signifies that "Roumania has definitely sworn allegiance to Austria and Germany." This latter news is not the least surprising to the writer of these casual chats on* the great war, as reference to his remarks many months back, on. Soumania will explain! Roumanla. was discussed at some length then, and there does not seem any reason for re-casting the opinion then expressed. Time has not dimmed the Teuton's shield, and, obviously, his legions are as"tough and formidable as ever. The Gallipoli fiasco, the Serbian faux pas, and the Mesopotamia^ muddle while, being rather depressing features from our view-point, are singularly impressive to the local neutrals. Roumania is one of those local neutrals, and Greece — poor trampled, goaded Greece —is yet another. Belgium, Albania, Greece, Holland and Persia! Friend and foe alike assail ye. Tis related In a great poem that "Freedom shrieked" when a certain Polish patriot felL But, examining the Old World from every -vantage point to-day, unless one is s ■ ■'••■■• / ■/,/ .' ■ ■ ENDOWED WITH A HBAVKNLY OPTIMISM *•:■. •:■: ' it would, be iust to believe taut Freedom is dead and burled. There are terse messages dealing with various doings m the vicinity of Ypres, and other items dealing with the concentration of enemy troops m excessive numbers > before the British lines In the west. Smiling May with its sunshine and showers is about to dawn o'er the dreary canal nme. of Belgium, its coal-yards, ruined factories, shattered railways, tumbled villages, and the long' meandering lines of the sodden sand-bagged trenches. With the smiling/May moon the .gathering death will muster fiercer to the ; fray. While Britain's politicians— ever swayed by party and privileges— exe arguing over the fine points of the | national compulsion and m vain looking backwards to dig up some precedent that might authorise the holding of a secret session; while the Tory' press, keenly alive t& Its own especial' "interests, is busily /engaged sowing the 'seeds of 1 discord between Prime Minister Asquith and; his staunch friend, Xioyd George; while Bill le Hughes, of | Australia, Is being-feasted and lionised, ! and while British war correspondents ara tramping the globe "on the make" from the cheap fame reaped over our boys* DARING DEEDS AND DEATHS AT THE DARDANELLES^ v yea, while there is fun, football and wrangling throughout Mother England, .our cousins on the Rhine are united, speechless, but extraordlnarly busy. Their war waggons and marching-men are pouring eastwards and westwards, and attack, always attack, is their forte. Though their submarine blockade is terxibly relentless, they abate not a jot of their threat. They sink at sight, and President Wilson shrieks aloud m every fresh -note. Even if America severed diplomatic relations, which ia about all America would do if it came to a rupture, our felentless cousins on the Rhine would still not be frightened into the least semblance of submission. No one can dictate terms of submission who has not the force behind the terms. Thus while there is talking and noise at home and abroad, the enemy is battering away and rolling fresh stock and legions into the field. Sir Douglas Haig needs Boinething stronger than politicians' phrases to nerve bis arm for the coming strufislo. Verdun is not yet finished with, neither has the story of Yprea properly begun. With the opening month of summer a shock as heavy aa echoed along the Moose may reecho more fearfully along the Yser. The western situation, oven though It is grim trench warfare, cannot last as it is. Time win not -fail to vindicate such an opinion, though It counters that of numerous experts — military, press and platform, critics. There is not much to be said m regard to Mesopotamia. A miracle could alone have saved Townshend m Kut, if half we read about his situation is correct. But MIRACLES SELDOM HAPPEN I THgsw DAYS, | ho Townshend and his gallant tenthousand men ore under escort for Constantinople. The end was expected, especially since the floods have been m full tide, and General Gorringo suffered a severe check. Bo it noted according to the High Commlasioner'fl cable meaoage, that the enemy*fl counter attacks completely foiled Gorringe'a gallant attempt. By tho way Gorringe is the general who la filling General Aytmer's shoes. We have not been told what happened to Aylmer; has fee lost his reputation or his life? THE POPE AND PEACE. Miffr a lone great voice crying m a vast wilderness. His Holiness sent his message, which Is Christ's message, out over the warring world again; It was the old, but grandest of ail meaaagea. Pax tecum, and it was especially addressed to the goaded, brow-beaten and nervous president of the Unltud States of America. Said the Pope: Peace be with you. These are the sweet words spoken by the riaen Savior to PU apostles, and tho Holy Father re-addresses them to all men. May th» nations now at peace prenorve 11, thankituz God for no great a blessing. May thoso at war soon lay down tho sword and terminate tho »Uiucuter which ia dishonoring Europe and humanity.